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Model performance: England’s victory over Montenegro last week had several echoes of a 5-1 defeat of Kazakhstan five years earlier, above, including an own goal and an ultimately comfortable successMarc Aspland, The Times Photographer

Managers are more reluctant to alter their defence than other areas of the team. Over the past two years 80 per cent of defenders starting one Premier League game have also begun the next one. Yet the figure for midfielders is 76 per cent and forwards only 72 per cent.